March News from the Jacob Edwards Library

Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

March 2022

Library hours

Monday & Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday 9 am - 5 pm

Saturday 9 am - 1 pm

Curbside pickup is available during library hours!

Items may be returned only through the book drop at the rear of the building, due to challenges posed for safe materials handling.

No book donations can be accepted during the pandemic.

Meet Libby!

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e-content without leaving your home!

Get started with Libby now.

Need help? Call 508-764-5426 x105 and one of our librarians can assist you!

Programming

Knitting with Sonya

Tuesday mornings

10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Reading Room

All are welcome!

Southbridge Chess Club

with instructor Ben Marinelli

Saturday mornings

9:30 - 11:30

All ages and skill levels welcome!

Celtic Celebrations with Davis Bates

Thursday, March 17

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Sponsored by Southbridge Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council.

The Jacob Edwards Library will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the impending arrival of spring by hosting a performance by Parents’ Choice Award winning performer Davis Bates. Entitled “A Celtic Celebration”, the program will involve the audience, and will include traditional songs and tales from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, including sea songs, chanteys, ghost stories, and family tales. There will also be plenty of sing-alongs, a short lesson in how to play music with spoons from a kitchen drawer, and an appearance by an Irish dancing wooden dog named Bingo!

Pete and Toshi Seeger called Davis "thoughtful, creative, human, and a fantastic storyteller." Davis' traditional and participatory performance style empowers and encourages audiences of all ages to join in the fun, and to take the songs and stories home with them to share with others. He also encourages listeners to remember and share stories and songs from their own family and cultural traditions.

Davis Bates has been telling stories for over forty-three years, in schools, libraries, colleges and community settings around New England and across the country. His recording of Family Stories won a Parent’s Choice Gold Award and was named one of the year’s best Audio Recordings by Booklist Magazine.

Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band

Thursday, March 24

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Sponsored by Southbridge Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council.

Internationally-acclaimed Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band brings passion, virtuosity, and contagious energy to every performance. The Wheels improvise with the intimacy of chamber music and the intensity of a rowdy dance band. Their engaging contemporary interpretation of Jewish music is irresistible to audiences ranging from elementary school students to the judges at the International Jewish Music Festival, who heralded them as “a true musical democracy.”

The Wheels’ unique style was forged in the subway stations and farmers’ markets of Boston, where the informal setting and ever-changing audience created an ideal environment for musical experimentation. They honed their craft with bulgars and 90’s pop covers for the morning rush hour and mixed doinas and zhoks with fresh produce on the weekends, building a community of fans and friends across the city. As their tightly coordinated but playful style matured, they moved on to larger and more discerning audiences, and in 2012 they won both the jury-awarded City Winery Prize for best klezmer ensemble and the Audience Pick Award at the third biennial International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. This success opened a new chapter in the band’s ongoing saga that included high-profile performances at the Kennedy Center, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Yidstock.

Ezekiel’s Wheels features Abigale Reisman (violin, backing vocals), Jonathan Cannon (violin), Kirsten Lamb (double bass, lead vocals), Nat Seelen (clarinet), and Pete Fanelli (trombone).

Crocodile River Music

Thursday, March 31

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Sponsored by Southbridge Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council.

The Jacob Edwards Library is delighted to welcome back Crocodile River Music for another lively performance of music, dance and cultural heritage. The event is free and all are welcome!

Crocodile River Music was founded in 2011 to support African artists to present African art, music, and dance that educates, and connects audiences of all ages, backgrounds and capabilities. Through that work, Crocodile River provides people with ways to better understand themselves and one another.

The team is comprised of talented, collaborative, and inspiring individuals who embody their core values and bring African culture to life through their work. By connecting with diverse audiences, they are able to share the universal influence of African rhythms and melodies across different backgrounds, ages, and cultures.

Join JEL as we celebrate Women's History Month!

Throughout March, our display cases will feature works by crafters and artists from Southbridge and the surrounding areas.

Staff Pick

Circe by Madeline Miller

"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world."--Provided by publisher.

Featured Database

JobNow, powered by Brainfuse, provides live interactive online help combined with online resources to guide you through the necessary tasks to get a job.

The Jacob Edwards Library subscribes to more than 50 online databases which can help you with everything from schoolwork, finding up-to-date health information, to learning a new language, or preparing for your driving test. Check them out here!